The reigning gold medallist Iouri ‘iPod’ Podlatchikov has ruled himself out of contention in the men’s halfpipe at the Olympics in Pyeongchang because of a brain injury he received at the X Games last month.
The Swiss stunt-ditch specialist had travelled out to South Korea with the rest of his national team, but after doing one training session and undergoing further tests, he decided that “participating in the Olympic Games is in no way safe and responsible”.
“It was clear to me that I had sustained a serious and dangerous injury.”
In a statement released by the Swiss ski federation he said: “When I received this diagnosis, it was clear to me that I had sustained a serious and dangerous injury and that participating in the Olympic Games would pose a great risk to my health.” But he’d obviously hoped to be able to push on through.
